This is the first installment in a series of posts about weird insects. I thought I’d start with the cow ant because even its name is odd.

The cow ant is technically not an ant; it’s actually a wingless, female wasp. These furry insects are part of the family mutillidae. Male mutillidae have wings and cannot sting. There are over 4,000 species of mutillidae around the world; 400 can be found here in the US. Cow ants are most often spotted in the sandy areas of the US.

Also known as velvet ants, mutillidae have a thick hair covering their body. In the picture above the cow ant has red and black hair but they can also be seen with gold, silver or white hair. While the picture above is not the actual size, it may be pretty close. Cow ants are about an inch long or the size of other wasps.

So why are they called cow ants? The cow ant has a very painful sting (remember she’s actually a wasp) and is thought to be so painful it could kill a cow. But, cow ants are not aggressive and would rather be left alone. Adult Mutillidae feed on water and nectar.

Pest control note: cow ants do not cause any damage.

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